CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Disruption of the Gene and Its Impact on Growth, Development, and Penicillin Production in .

is a filamentous fungus of great biotechnological importance due to its role as an industrial producer of the antibiotic penicillin. However, despite its significance, our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms governing biological processes in this fungus is still limited. In fungi, zinc finger proteins containing a Zn(II)Cys domain are particularly interesting regulators.

The developmental regulator Pcz1 affects the production of secondary metabolites in the filamentous fungus Penicillium roqueforti.

Penicillium roqueforti is used in the production of several kinds of ripened blue-veined cheeses. In addition, this fungus produces interesting secondary metabolites such as roquefortine C, andrastin A and mycophenolic acid. To date, there is scarce information concerning the regulation of the production of these secondary metabolites.

Role of Gene in the Filamentous Fungus .

The (suppressor of four kinase) gene has been mainly studied in , where it was shown to be involved in growth and thermal stress resistance. This gene is widely conserved within the phylum . Despite this, to date has not been studied in any filamentous fungus.

Heterotrimeric G protein alpha subunit controls growth, stress response, extracellular protease activity, and cyclopiazonic acid production in Penicillium camemberti.

The fungus Penicillium camemberti is widely used in the ripening of various bloomy-rind cheeses. Several properties of P. camemberti are important in cheese ripening, including conidiation, growth and enzyme production, among others.

The Biosynthetic Gene Cluster for Andrastin A in .

is a filamentous fungus involved in the ripening of several kinds of blue cheeses. In addition, this fungus produces several secondary metabolites, including the meroterpenoid compound andrastin A, a promising antitumoral compound. However, to date the genomic cluster responsible for the biosynthesis of this compound in has not been described.

Identification and Functional Analysis of the Mycophenolic Acid Gene Cluster of Penicillium roqueforti.

The filamentous fungus Penicillium roqueforti is widely known as the ripening agent of blue-veined cheeses. Additionally, this fungus is able to produce several secondary metabolites, including the meroterpenoid compound mycophenolic acid (MPA). Cheeses ripened with P.

The pcz1 gene, which encodes a Zn(II)2Cys6 protein, is involved in the control of growth, conidiation, and conidial germination in the filamentous fungus Penicillium roqueforti.

Proteins containing Zn(II)(2)Cys(6) domains are exclusively found in fungi and yeasts. Genes encoding this class of proteins are broadly distributed in fungi, but few of them have been functionally characterized. In this work, we have characterized a gene from the filamentous fungus Penicillium roqueforti that encodes a Zn(II)(2)Cys(6) protein, whose function to date remains unknown.